Pearls of Writing Wisdom

[Erin99]

Hi guys!

I came up with an idea for a thread last night while chatting with Seph about writing. He often has great pearls of wisdom when we talk - talking seems to benefit us when it comes to writing and plotting - and I wanted to share it. It's probably obvious, but it really struck home for me:


It's not so much a case of 'show or tell', it's about being able to make your readers feel emotions as your characters do - the ultimate connection on an emotional level, since humans are emotional creatures - so when something sad happens, if you've got that reader connection, perhaps you don't always need to state its effect or show its effect on your character - because the reader will already understand when it means. It's the ultimate way of connecting readers to characters.

This came about because Seph had read a passage in Hyperion where something (dunno what - I've yet to read it) happens, and rather than have the character(s) look away or cry or something, or state "s/he felt sad", Dan Simmons writes nothing. Just the scene itself. By then, readers are so connected to the characters, they don't need more. And it works VERY WELL emotionally.


The question then becomes: how does one get that emotional connection?






So, anyone else have pearls of writing wisdom they want to share? I thought this might be a nice place to collect our useful tips.

 

[Toby Frost]

Interesting idea. I'll have a think.

 

[J Riff]

Agree. Write for readers with a brain and an imagination and get on with the story. )

 

[jastius]

i believe that is all about walking a mile in the other person's moccasins sort of thing.. finding common ground for an emotional dialogue. emotions have their own set of tropes. by understanding this language of common feelings, there is engendered a bond between the writer and the reader where more information is shared then said or described.
for instance if one were to say Vietnam vet flashback, that would describe a specific and complicated scenario that most of us would grok without more description.

 

[Bowler1]

Agree. Write for readers with a brain and an imagination and get on with the story. )

Write for the reader and not your own ego, it keeps you humble. I've yet to have more than a handful of readers so take with a large pinch of salt - but there's always hope.

 

[Sunseal]

This is a really interesting thread. In years gone by I've often found myself wondering if I've done this scene or that scene enough "emotional justice" without overdoing it. It's such a fine line and I do think it has a lot to do with the writer's own style.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Something I've greatly come to appreciate when rewriting and editing, is to look for what I cannot yet see.

It's easy to feel a sense of accomplishment for what you think you've already achieved, but there are always blind spots - areas of weakness not yet noticed.

Sometimes I find a passage does not feel quite right, and I don't know why. Looking to find what has been missed, what has been done wrong, what has not been done nearly enough, are the hard parts. But there is a greater sense of accomplishment when found.

 

[Erin99]

Some interesting advice here! "You can't please everybody, so write to your target audience." <== That, then, suggests you need to know your target VERY well.

Sometimes I find a passage does not feel quite right, and I don't know why.

That's a point I always keep in mind (though I'm not necessarily the best at fixing problems). A writer's brain is better than the writer at finding bad word choices or parts that don't work. It's our job to listen when it regularly trips up in a passage, to find out what it's trying to show us...

 

[Zahhak]

Some things via Tumblr:

“Number one rule for fiction: Coincidence can be used to worsen a character’s predicament, but never to solve his problems.” — Vivian Vande Velde